FEATURE:
Commitment to Fans or a Cash Grab?
PHOTO CREDIT: Jorge Fakhouri Filho/Pexels
Why Billie Eilish’s Comments About Artists Who Release Multiple Vinyl Formats Rings True
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I can appreciate…
IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Eilish photographed in 2024/PHOTO CREDIT: Gilbert Flores/Getty Images
that artists want to provide options to their fans and there is this attractiveness when it comes to vinyl. There are options to release multiple vinyl formats and colours. You can have a standard black vinyl. We have so many colours and designs that artists can utilise. The issue is, at a time when we need to be sustainable and think about the environment, should artists be putting out various versions of the same album on vinyl?! Unless you are releasing it on recycled vinyl and something that is quite responsible when it comes to environmental impact, we need to be economic and sensible regarding these multiple formats and reissues. Billie Eilish recently revealed in an interview how she finds it frustrating when artists put out multiple vinyl formats. NME give us the details:
“Billie Eilish has criticised artists who release multiple vinyl formats to boost album sales, calling the practise “really frustrating”.
The artist made the comments in a new interview with Billboard, where Eilish and her mother Maggie Baird discussed their history of environmental activism – and in particular, their work towards making vinyl more sustainable.
“We live in this day and age where, for some reason, it’s very important to some artists to make all sorts of different vinyl and packaging,” Eilish began, “which ups the sales and ups the numbers and gets them more money.”
After Baird interrupted to point out vinyl sales “counts toward No. 1 albums”, Eilish responded: “I can’t even express to you how wasteful it is.
“It is right in front of our faces and people are just getting away with it left and right,” she added, “and I find it really frustrating as somebody who really goes out of my way to be sustainable and do the best that I can and try to involve everybody in my team in being sustainable — and then it’s some of the biggest artists in the world making f–king 40 different vinyl packages that have a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more.
“It’s so wasteful, and it’s irritating to me that we’re still at a point where you care that much about your numbers and you care that much about making money — and it’s all your favorite artists doing that sh-t.”
Artists producing multiple vinyl variants to increase album sales is a common practise; Swift’s 2022 LP ‘Midnights’ was sold in five different variants, eventually becoming the first album to sell better on vinyl than on CD since the 1980s.
Eilish’s own second album ‘Happier Than Ever’ contained eight vinyl variants of the record; however, each vinyl was made from 100% recycled vinyl with sugar cane shrink wrap. Mst vinyl releases will typically use “virgin vinyl”, which contains plastic resin, along with single-use plastic shrink wrap”.
It does tend to happen with the bigger artists. Not only will they put out a new album on multiple vinyl formats. There will then be the reissue shortly after where there are extra tracks. Taylor Swift might be one of the most prominent artists who is culpable when it comes to repackaging an album and putting out a ‘new’ version shortly after the original. I do hope that artists reflect and there is a bit more awareness of the wastefulness.
PHOTO CREDIT: Juan J. Morales-Trejo/Pexels
I do realise that artists might be reacting to demand. Vinyl sales are continuing to climb. There is that temptation to exploit that somewhat by putting out multiple vinyl options. It can seem like a cash grab. If you have a new album out, by all means have a few vinyl options. A few different colours that means you are producing the same amount but giving some flexibility in terms of the look of it. Many artists also release on C.D. and cassette. That gives fans enough option. I think one of the biggest worries is when you get excessive amounts of vinyl options when an album is initially released and then there is a new version of the album shortly after. It means that fans are not really getting too much for their money. They might buy this reissue or expanded edition to support the artist. It does seem like a quick and easy way of making money. How do you restrict this?! You can’t really limit artists or say that they should only release one version of an album and then not have a reissue. It does seem quite opportunistic when you get these deluxe or expanded editions. Artists do need to be aware of the impact this has. Of releasing so many vinyl options. Billie Eilish is right when she points out how damaging it is. Even if vinyl sales rising is a great thing, the effect that mass production has on the environment is huge. Until a recyclable or more sustainable version of vinyl can be realistically rolled out and replace what we have at the moment, there is this conflict and awkward situation. It is angering when larger artists are thinking about their numbers and using vinyl reissues as a way of boosting sales. Having a run of colours and options initially. Then putting out an expanded version. Maybe an anniversary release will come out a year or so later. There does need to be this awakening. With Billie Eilish’s comments in mind, artists do need to be conscious about the environment and stop using vinyl as a way of increasing sales. Give fans options but not take advantage. Let’s hope that this warning…
PHOTO CREDIT: Maria Varshavskaya/Pexels
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